How do you listen to your customers?

Optimism about the economy is increasing and pundits say that it is time to get ready for growth. Yet budgets are restricted and our investment needs to deliver returns – so the question is “Where should you spend your money?”

Relationships and happy customers have been an important part of helping businesses to succeed through the recession. Word of mouth and recommendations have been more important than ever and, I believe, will continue to be an invaluable source of enquiries.

As we prepare for growth, we should invest in ‘tools’ to help us listen effectively to customers and make it easy for them share their enthusiasm for our products and services.

Which tools should we choose?

In the last week I received one email which lists 10 ways that Facebook can benefit my business and another which explains customers prefer to interact via the company website rather than on Facebook, Linked In etc. This seems contradictory but both ‘tools’ can be valuable.

Who is your audience?
If your target market contains active users of Facebook, this might be a great place for them to have a discussion with you, share ideas with each other and let their friends know about your business. For companies like Dorset Cereals or charities like the RSPB, Facebook provides a vibrant environment for people to participate and feel part of the brand. But both organisations will have many devotees who would never go near Facebook and they need to be looked after on the main website, via newsletters or offline.

What do you want to talk about?
Potential customers take increasing note of peer reviews and their buying decisions are influenced by the things they see on websites. For both small and large purchases, many of us will seek additional information from ‘Joe Public’. It is logical that the best place for this kind of discussion is on your website. You definitely don’t want potential customers to leave your site at the point of sale because they rarely return. Amazon and many others have given us an excellent demonstration of the way reviews and endorsements, along with recommendations can help to keep people on your own website and buy more from you.

What about complaints?
If an unhappy customer tells you that they are dissatisfied with your service, they are doing 2 things. Firstly they are ‘getting it off their chest’ and secondly they are giving you a chance to put things right. Sadly only 29% of people receive a response within 1 day and 12% have to wait for over a month, according to a recent survey by the Institute of Customer Service. This is dangerous stuff when it comes to your company and your relationships.

If angry customers express themselves via your website, you have a chance to respond publicly and put things right. Far from damaging your image, this can actually enhance your standing. However, if they have no voice on your website – and you have already failed to respond to their email complaint – there is a risk that they’ll take their complaints to their social networking sites: Facebook, Twitter, Linked In etc. Their unhappiness with your company will be shared with hundreds of their friends and contacts at the click of a mouse.

What next?

Take a look at your website and see if you have enough ways for your customers to interact with you. Do you have reviews and recommendations? Is it easy for them to find your email address and phone number? Can you add the social networking buttons to make it easy for them to spread the word, e.g. ‘Share’ for Facebook and ‘Tweet’ for Twitter? Do you ask customers to recommend you? When the lovely man from Etyres came to my house to change my car tyres the other day, he left a leaflet for me to pass on to others. I’d happily ‘Share’ Etyres on Facebook but I can’t find a link on their site to do it. As for the leaflet? I would have passed it on but one of my children spilt milk on it so it ended up in the bin!

Create a group on Linked In, Facebook or My Space if it makes sense to your business but manage it actively.

Monitor what is being said about you online and respond promptly to customers. Send a thank you note to those who say nice things and ask unhappy customers what you can do to help.

We will return to this topic in the near future but please do get in touch if you have any questions or comments in the meantime. If you would like any help getting started or would like me to carry out a project for you, please call on 01608 737653 or email Kate for a free, confidential and independent conversation.

I am proud to offer independent strategic advice to help you market your business effectively.

Kind regards,

Kate Barlow

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